Bose has made the only noise-cancelling headphones you should buy

The Massachusetts-based company has put years of money and research into its QuietComfort line of noise-cancelling headphones, and it owns several important patents related to noise cancelling tech.

As a result, it’s one of the few major audio brands selling headphones on the back of their performance. It truly is the best at shutting things up.

Now, with the traditional headphone jack on shaky ground, it’s launched a Bluetooth model. The $350 QuietComfort 35 takes everything the QuietComfort 25 did and stuffs it in a wireless package. For the most part, that’s a very good thing. Here’s what I’ve found after using them for a couple of weeks.

But first, a caveat: The QuietComfort 35 are excellent noise-cancelling headphones, but noise-cancelling headphones are still niche devices. They have inherent weaknesses, and most people don’t need to go out of their way to buy them.

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Namely, they come at a premium, and they have a degrading effect on sound quality. Pairing noise cancelling with Bluetooth, which already tends to dull fine details, only makes things worse. That doesn’t mean they’ll sound bad, but it does mean you should look elsewhere if you’re serious about audio performance.

Beyond that, you should only pay for something like this if you’re regularly surrounded by loudness. If you’re always on trains and planes, or just saddled with an insanely noisy air conditioner, then sure, go for it. Otherwise, a tight-fitting pair of in-ear headphones should naturally block out enough for most people.

Even then, this kind of active noise cancelling has its limitations. When done well, as it is here, it’s very good at cutting off low frequencies. The rumble of a plane engine or the clatter of a subway station just disappear, and it’s great. But voices, clapping, and other higher pitches can still seep through when the music isn’t loud enough.

So it’s not magic. Keeping all that in mind, though, the QuietComfort 35 are as convenient as these things get.

That’s largely due to the fact that they feel wonderful on your head.

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Much like their wired predecessor, the QuietComfort 35 is among the most purely comfortable headphones I’ve worn.

The earpads are soft, the headband is well-padded, and the whole thing is fairly lightweight. (Which is impressive, given how all the necessary electronics are within the earcups.) They rest over your ears with just the right amount of grip. I wore them for the entirety of a five-hour bus ride at one point, and barely felt the need to adjust them.

If there’s a complaint, it’s that they can make your ears a little sweaty after that sort of extended listening — though that’s the case with most full-size cans.

The design itself isn’t $350 good, but it’s still more handsome than not.

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There’s too much plastic here to say the QuietComfort 35 feel “premium,” but the finish is smooth, and the rest of the headphone is competently put together. It doesn’t come off as cheap.

It folds up to be nice and compact, too. That's not a given with Bluetooth headphones. A handy, if slightly cramped, set of on-ear controls are onboard as well, making it easier to keep your phone in your pocket while you’re playing.

Battery life is great.

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Bose says the QuietComfort 35’s rechargeable battery can last up to 20 hours with the noise-cancelling on in Bluetooth mode. You can reach that, but per usual it depends on how high you set the volume. I usually got about 16-17 hours. That’s still great given that the headphone is pushing Bluetooth and noise cancelling all at once.

It’s worth noting that you can plug in the included (and very thin) 3.5mm cable and squeeze more life out of the noise cancelling effect that way. It defeats the purpose of the QuietComfort 35 in the first place, but Bose claims you’ll get up to 40 hours in that mode.

The integrated battery here is much easier to handle than the AAA-powered packs that dangled from QuietComforts past, but, annoyingly, it’s not replaceable. When the battery starts to degrade, you’ll be stuck charging more frequently.

You’d still buying this for the noise cancellation, though, and that remains excellent.

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As noted above, Bose’s active noise cancellation can’t cover everything, but it just about erases the stuff it can. You’ll still feel rumbling of a subway ride, but you won’t hear the cart banging and buzzing along. If you’ve never used it before, it’ll be jarring, in the good way. (Just try to pay attention if you’re walking down a busy street.)

One annoyance to note, though, is that you can’t turn off the effect while you’re in wireless mode. Once the headphone’s on, the noise cancelling is too. You can play things passively with the aforementioned cable, but again, being wireless is the selling point here. Bose’s upcoming QuietControl earbudswill let you adjust the noise cancellation through an app.

The QuietComfort 35’s sound is solid, but only for the kind of headphone this is.

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Let me be clear here: If you’re not into audio, chances are this’ll be totally fine. Good even. For a Bluetooth pair, it’s full-bodied and balanced, with big bass and smooth mids. It’s not a natural sound, but it plays nice with most pop music.

Being wireless and noise-cancelling means that you’re always losing a little clarity, though. Cymbal hits aren’t as crisp, bass lines can sound a bit flabby, and most instruments could stand to have more room to breathe. This is the way it goes with a lot of Bluetooth headphones, but not every Bluetooth headphone costs $350.

Still, if you’re not a snob like me, it should be a pleasant listen. Just make sure your money is going toward that noise cancellation first.

Their one major flaw is that they leak a good chunk of sound at higher volumes. Put it at full blast, and any song you’re playing will come through loud and clear.

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That’s not great for a headphone designed for plane rides. If you like to crank the volume, know that you’re probably going to annoy the people sitting next to you.

There’s a free companion app, per usual, but it doesn’t do much.

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The Bose Connect (iOS, Android) app lets you check your battery level and adjust the volume, but that’s nothing you can’t do without it.

Everything you need to know about the QuietComfort 35 is in the name: They keep things quiet, and they’re really, really comfortable.

Bose

With the death of the headphone jack being a thing now, going wireless looks like the safest way to ensure you can actually use your headphones with all your devices. (The future!)

Noise cancelling quality is what matters with noise-cancelling headphones, and in that regard Bose is still second to none. It’s not far off in terms of making headphones that are nice to wear, too. Add strong battery life and a sound that’s good enough, and you have the most sensible noise-cancelling headphones you can buy today.